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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25664848">Bleeding Red and Blue</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oh_DAMNeron/pseuds/Oh_DAMNeron'>Oh_DAMNeron</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Detroit Evolution - Fandom, Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Blood, Blood and Injury, Character Death, DEArtfest, F/F, Grief/Mourning, Gunshot Wounds, Hurt No Comfort, Inspired by Octopunk Media's Detroit: Evolution Fan Film, M/M, Major Character Injury, Octopunk Media, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pain, Suffering, Tina and Valerie are a background ship, Whump</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:41:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,231</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25664848</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oh_DAMNeron/pseuds/Oh_DAMNeron</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>An alternate ending to Detroit Evolution where Ada succeeds in transferring herself into the new, upgraded body and in which Nines fails in his task of deviating her.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tina Chen (Detroit: Become Human)/Valerie Morales-Chen, Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Bleeding Red and Blue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This fic was originally based off of my Whump art for the DE ArtFest but it has since then spiralled into something much bigger and more painful than what was in that one art piece.<br/>This fic is basically a combination of the DE ArtFest prompts: #Whump, Alternate Ending and #Proposal </p><p>A big thank you to my dear friend AJ for beta reading this! </p><p>I apologise for the pain, have fun!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>They were too late, Ada had succeeded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By the time they had arrived, Ada was already in her new body and she was waiting for them. She knew that they were smart and that collectively they would eventually figure out her location. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ada paced the floor, flexing her hands as she noticed Nines creep into the building. Her lips curling up into a wicked grin that promised pain. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Finally." She called out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ada… It doesn't have to go this way." Nines was holding up a hand defensively, walking slowly towards her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm just trying to complete my mission. You're an obstacle and I have to get rid of you." She tilted her head up menacingly and if Nines could shiver in fear, this would be the moment to do so.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Let me help you." His voice was filled with determination but Ada wasn't having it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ada was the first to throw a punch, this surprised no one. It landed hard against Nines jaw and he was sent back with surprising force. Those upgrades must be doing wonders. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin Reed peered around the corner of a shipping container, gun raised. Chris Miller was quick to tell him to stand down and to give Nines a chance, but Gavin wasn't convinced. Ada was now more advanced than Nines could ever be, there was no chance for him to win this. Gavin kept his gun raised despite Chris' protests. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines swung a crowbar at Ada, striking her directly in the stomach. She didn't flinch. Grabbing a hold of Nines' arm, Ada frees the crowbar from his grip. Ada is ruthless and wastes no time. In one powerful strike, Ada lodges the crowbar into Nines' arm. She then puts both hands on either side of the crowbar and forces it towards the ground. Nines gets forced to the ground and the crowbar crushes through his arm. Thirium coats the crowbar and splatters onto the ground. Ada then rips Nines' arm clean off, tearing it away from the wiring and circuitry. She holds it for a moment before dropping it by her side without a care, like it's some stick she had picked up off of the ground. Nine staggers backwards and Ada takes this chance to readjust her grip on the crowbar and slam the forked end directly into Nines' thirium pump regulator. Sparks erupt from the split in the android chassis and electricity sizzles as thirium drips from the biocomponent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin takes that as his cue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shoves Chris off and takes aim on Ada. He breathes out and pulls the trigger. There's a loud bang and a ringing in Gavin's ears as he sees the damage he did. Hardly a dent. But he's sure got her attention now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You." Ada snarled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There is another bang from behind Gavin and he can see Chris' gun raise in his peripheral. It does nothing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Shit." Gavin curses under his breath as he raises his gun again. Firing off another two shots at her before eyeing the damage or, more accurately, lack thereof.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kevlar plating, Detective. I'm sure you recall, you </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> read my case file after all." Ada advances, her finger hooked in the bend of the crowbar, managing to spin it in big circles as if it is nothing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin backs away but Chris is not so quick to retreat. He fires off a few shots, managing to lodge one into her shoulder. The white of her shirt turns blue as thirium spreads through the fabric. She pulls the bullet free as if she were brushing something off of her. She smirks as she flips the crowbar into her hand, ready for action, and brings it down hard on Chris' arm holding his gun. The gun clatters to the floor as Chris retracts his broken hand and cries out. Ada snatches the gun from the floor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There is a sound of vague shouting from outside, followed by what Gavin assumed were footsteps. Tina Chen is quickly pulling the damaged Chris back by the shirt collar, away from Ada, and taking his position, gun raised and firing already. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ada raises the gun and without hesitation, aims it at Gavin's chest and pulls the trigger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin's breath catches in his throat as he is struck by the bullet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The world seems to slow down as he crashes into the concrete. His head collides with the ground hard and his vision blurs. It takes a moment for the pain to hit and when it does, he's crying out.  It feels like his skin is on fire, as if electricity is pumping through his nerves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Gavin</span>
  </em>
  <span>!" A voice he can't place erupts through his haze and he's suddenly pulled back to reality. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin is gritting his teeth, breathing out with a hiss as he feels someone apply pressure to the profusely bleeding gunshot wound in his chest. It had just missed his heart, that's for sure, but it was still going to do a lot of damage. He needed medical attention and quickly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the edge of Gavin's mind, he heard Ada grunt and shout but he was already focussing back on the pain and not paying her much attention. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines had charged her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fuelled by rage and pseudo-adrenaline, Nines had wrapped his remaining arm around Ada's neck and pulled her to the floor, managing to disarm her. Ada wasn't down for long, stronger than the average android, and surely stronger than Nines, it wasn't much of a challenge to free herself. She connected her elbow to Nines' face with considerable force and wormed her way free. While he was down she kicked him in the face, sending him backwards towards Gavin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then there were sirens. Red and blue lights could be seen through the door. Tina had called for backup when she heard the first shot and they had finally arrived. Ada was smarter than to stay and fight off more officers. She made a break for it, taking a bullet to the spine from Office Chen, but it did nothing to hinder her escape. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was gone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tina eyed Chris still putting pressure on Gavin's wound, he nodded at her, something that translated as "I've got this, you do your job", and she headed outside to quickly instruct the backup crew. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines had alerted the DPD for an ambulance the moment Gavin was shot and it was to arrive soon. Nines managed to crawl over to the bleeding Gavin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin's shaky gaze locked onto Nines the moment he was in view and his hand instinctively reached out. Nines took it in his and felt how weak Gavin's grasp was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Just hold on, Gavin, help is on its way…" Nines was trying to be reassuring but his HUD was screaming at him with alerts about damaged biocomponents and a shutdown warning with just over two hours remaining. His thirium pump was damaged but still working at minimum capacity. It was managing to do its job but with everything else, he was losing blue blood rather quickly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ambulance arrived with flashes of red and blue. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin, in his pained haze, registered a flashlight shining in his eyes before he was lifted onto a gurney. He groaned and writhed in pain as his body was shifted from the position that he had grown used to. He was pushed to the ambulance and loaded in. He could vaguely sense that someone was sitting beside him but he couldn't quite make out who. His eyes were getting heavy and he felt his head roll to the side against his will. There was a hand on his burning cheek and a voice pleading for something, Gavin couldn't quite make out the words. He felt like he was submerged in cotton, unable to see or hear anything clearly. He couldn't even tell they had started driving, but he certainly knew when someone pressed something down hard on his chest. He cried out in pain again, the edges of his vision going white. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nines stayed by Gavin's side the entire time. Forcing the HUD warnings out for view and thus out of mind, he watched as Gavin began to sweat and his breathing grew harder and harder. Nines felt his face scrunch up, fighting off tears as he watched the man he had finally managed to get close to be in so much pain. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines was there when they arrived at the hospital. He was there when Gavin was being carted away to the operating theatre. Nines stayed, and watched through the window as Gavin was placed under an anesthesia and the bullet was removed. Nines was there when the heart monitor changed to a steady ringing and the doctors called for the defibrillator. Nines was there by his side in the recovery room, waiting for him to wake up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The one time that Nines left Gavin's side was to wander into the bathroom and to face his beaten and bleeding reflection. His fingers gently traced the android chassis that could be seen scattered over his face and neck peeking through his synthetic skin. He wiped at the line of thirium running from his nose. Then his eyes dropped to where his arm had been torn away. He finally decided to acknowledge the warnings and alerts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>"Biocomponent #2834a missing"</b>
</p><p>
  <b>"Thirium 310 levels: </b>
  <b>
    <em>extremely low </em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>(seek immediate refill)"</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>"Biocomponent #93t78 damaged"</b>
</p><p>
  <b>"Biocomponent #786j1 damaged"</b>
</p><p>
  <b>"Biocomponent #49b98 damaged"</b>
</p><p>
  <b>"Shutdown imminent: </b>
  <b>
    <em>time remaining 0:16:47"</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>"Mission: </b>
  <b>
    <em>Stay with Gavin</em>
  </b>
  <b>"</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nines looked back into the eyes of his reflection. The iris's would flicker a dark black on occasion and he knew that wasn't a good sign. His gaze drifted to the red LED on the side of his head. He wanted to give Gavin something to remember him by, given the circumstances. This was the only thing be could think of with the time he had left. Nines opened the cabinet drawer and reached for a pair of scissors.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>"Biocomponent #4387l removed"</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nines leans against the doorframe, watching Gavin's chest rise and fall ever so faintly. A bandage wrapped tightly around his torso over his wound and bruises scattered here and there. Nines eyed the old scars riddled over his upper body. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He's had a tough life</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Nines thought sadly. He rolls his now detached LED across his knuckles like he remembers Connor doing with his coin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines takes a seat beside Gavin. And for a short moment he just watches him, unsure if he should say or do anything in this situation. He opts to scan him, but he's not hopeful about the results.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>"Unconscious"</b>
</p><p>
  <b>"Significant damage sustained"</b>
</p><p>
  <b>"Chance of survival: 9%"</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nines' gaze drops to the floor for a moment. He closed his eyes for a moment, contemplating the best approach. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He reached for Gavin's hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Gavin…" Nines' words were weak and whispered, "I don't know what to say. Out of all the ways tonight could have ended, I never predicted this." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He waited, as if for Gavin to respond. But his words never broke the silence and Nines carried on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I… had preconstructed this whole life for us. I don't know if you would want to hear about it… you can't exactly tell me otherwise right now. But after tonight, after that </span>
  <em>
    <span>kiss</span>
  </em>
  <span>, I think maybe it wouldn't be too bad to talk about it with you while I still can.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I liked the idea of us leaving Detroit. I know you haven't travelled much so it would be good to get away from it all. I'd like to see the beach one day. Maybe we'd like where we ended up and we'd stay there. Settle down. I'd… propose. You'd say yes and we'd get married. We'd have a small backyard wedding, invite our friends from the DPD. We'd be </span>
  <em>
    <span>happy</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Maybe we'd adopt a dog or a few more cats. Have a family. You'd grow old and I'd wear down eventually. I don't care much about leaving behind a legacy or having an impact. As long as I was with you I would've been happy." Nines feels his eyes burning. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turns Gavin's hand over slightly and presses his LED into his palm, curling his fingers back around it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>"Shutdown imminent: </b>
  <b>
    <em>time remaining 0:01:02</em>
  </b>
  <b>"</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't have long, Gavin." He felt his lip quiver, "I can tell why humans hate having emotions and feelings. They lead to irrational and irresponsible decisions. I could be at a Cyberlife institute right now being repaired, but instead I've sustained prolonged and irreversible damage because I wanted to make sure you made it here alive."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He paused, he would have stayed quiet longer but time was running out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I failed my original mission, Gavin. I wanted to protect people but I couldn't keep you safe. That hurt me, I let you down. I need to stay by your side. That was my new mission. If I couldn't keep you safe, at least I could make sure you made it to safety. And here we are. I succeeded at something, at least." He paused again, swallowing down a sob.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>"Shutdown imminent: </b>
  <b>
    <em>time remaining 0:00:04</em>
  </b>
  <b>"</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I meant what I said, Gavin, I'm not going anywhere… I love yo-" his voice faded away and his eyes went black. His distant gaze drifted to the floor and his hand fell to his side. A single tear rolled down his cheek, drawing a clean line through the thirium.</span>
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